Tolstoi's leven / Zijne persoonlijke herinneringen, brieven en aanteekeningen 1828-1863

An intimate biographical study gathers memoirs, letters, and diary extracts to reconstruct the subject's personal and intellectual development during his formative years. The editor explains his methodology and organizes material into four parts—autobiographical notes and correspondence, recollections from close acquaintances alongside official records, critical essays and writings, and miscellaneous press items—while describing archival research, direct questioning of the subject, and cooperation with family. The narrative combines documentary evidence and interpretive reflection, notes obstacles encountered by the biographer such as exile and limited access, and includes vivid anecdotes that illuminate private habits and evolving beliefs, producing a textured portrait of the figure's inner life and early worldview.